Tsubasa Shibahime, Champion of Justice!
by Terra3
Summary: Aya needs something bad for the Cultural Festival so she copies an old Slayers script off the Internet. Tsubasa is furious when she finds out that her part is a freak! Then she takes a tumble. A SlayersKareKano Xover [Abandoned]
1. Part One

Author's Notes: You're probably wondering why my notes are   
at the beginning rather than at the end. This story needs an   
introduction.   
  
This fic came from a conversation my brother, a fellow   
KareKano fan, and I had about Tsubasa. I said that if   
KareKano ever became dubbed, Joani Baker should do her voice   
because she first did Amelia and her Amelia sounded like she   
had a terrible cold. Like our dear Tsubasa does. My brother   
suggested I write a fic "Tsubasa Shibahime: Champion of   
Justice".   
  
At first, I couldn't think of how could be done. I hate   
cross-overs where the Slayers cast get sent to modern day   
and I don't see how KareKano could go to Slayers time. But   
then I thought, "Hey! Who says the characters have to meet?"   
And so I give you... this fic.   
  
Please keep in mind that I like Amelia of Slayers a lot. I'm   
making fun of Amelia's first three episodes, where she was   
very naive and silly. In case you're curious, I prefer   
Veronica Taylor.  
  
-----------  
  
Tsubasa Shibahime: Champion of Justice  
By Terra  
  
KareKano devised by whoever devised it and not me.  
Slayers devised by whoever devised it and not me.   
You can tell I research my favorite shows.  
  
For my brother, who suggested the idea in the first place,   
so IT'S HIS FAULT!!!! And also for filling in any gaps I had   
in information.  
  
It was 2001 AD, most of the Japanese empire lay in ruins.   
The bubble economy finally burst and blah, blah, blah. Go   
read one of Paul Corrigan's fics if you want the whole   
speech. I'll finish up...  
  
HOWEVER!  
  
Time was closing in on both fronts. She only had time to do   
one project: both were due the same day.  
"Newspaper... school... newspaper... school... money...   
not getting my ass kicked... money... not getting my ass   
kicked..." Aya sat at her workstation, pencil in hand, paper   
in front of her. The computer to her right remained dark and   
cold.  
The clock above her read: 4:00 PM.   
"I can't think of anything. There's no way I can think   
of two somethings!" Aya tore at her hair, screaming, "THIS   
SUCKS!" She regained her composure.  
"I could write about writers' block for the article. Or   
perhaps how our brains are being eaten away by the   
government. That could work, it's nearly election day. Nah,   
too bland." Aya leaned back in her chair as she thought   
aloud, "I could write about how music has changed through   
the ages. I could write about cloud-watching and how it   
brings us tranquillity and stops violence." She let the   
chair go back on four legs and declared, "I'll do that, I   
haven't done a sentimental piece for awhile." So, she began   
working madly on her cloud-watching article. She made five   
rough drafts then turned on her computer, researched the   
types of clouds, typed and edited her piece of "wonderful   
literature". Then the clock hit 8:00 PM.  
"CRAP! I haven't even started the play for the festival   
yet! I don't even have an idea what it should be about!" Aya   
put her head in her hands and moaned, "What am I going to do   
now? Even if I had an idea, I have no time to even write   
it!"  
The banner ad changed on the site she was on. She   
noticed the change between her fingers and looked up. The   
banner was puttering happily, advertising a website that had   
scripts for popular movies and TV shows. The director's   
chairs and movie reels bopped in rhythm of some hidden   
music. It was unbelievably gaudy but...  
"It's so wrong," Aya said as the idea went into her   
head, "I can't do this. It would jeopardize my reputation!"   
She looked again at the clock: 8:23 PM. "Screw it."  
She clicked on the banner ad.  
  
*** ***  
  
"Hey, Aya, did you finish the play yesterday?" Rika   
asked in her usual bubbly manner.  
"Yup, it's called 'A Lovely Princess' Magic Training'.   
It's a swords and sorcery type thing." Aya said, holding up   
the diskette, "I was about to print the script off on the   
school's computers. Want to come along?"  
"Okay!"   
"But first we need to find Yukino and Arima."  
"Why?"  
"I want them to play these two parts."  
  
*** ***  
  
"Sure! That would be great!" Yukino answered for the   
both of them, "what's my part's name again?"  
"Lisa. Lisa Intime, sorcery genius."  
"That's really cool! I thought you were into more sci-  
fi."  
"I thought it was time for a change of pace," Aya   
shrugged.  
"I don't know if I want to..." Arima started but Yukino   
turned to him, "Come on! It will be fun! Your part barely   
has any lines anyway! Please, do for me! Pretty please?"   
Yukino gave him her best puppy dog look and Arima   
squirmed and waved his arms for protection, "Okay! Okay!   
I'll do it, just this once! Cut that out! Who am I playing,   
anyway?" Arima asked, reluctantly.  
Aya looked at the cast list in her copy of the script,   
"You're playing Garth Gabbread, the Swordsman of Light."  
"I guess that's fine."  
Aya handed them two copies of the script, "Look them   
over today. We're having rehearsal tomorrow right after   
school in the Home Ec. room."  
  
*** ***  
  
Aya looked over her list of actors as she walked to the   
lunchroom, "Okay, Yukino is playing Lisa... Arima is playing   
Garth... Tsubaki is playing Crown Prince Patrick of   
Sayrunne... Rika is playing the traveling man... I got all   
the bandits/ghosts I need... now all I need to do is find   
Tsubasa." She put her list in her pocket and braced herself.   
Tsubasa was not pleased about her last role in one of her   
plays so she had to suggest this very carefully. No one else   
would want this role so she had to make sure Tsubasa would   
accept it and have no way out.  
Tsubasa was happily munching away on her lunch (which   
consisted of mostly dessert) when Aya sat down.  
"Tsubaki got a detention, Rika finished lunch early to   
finish a science project, and Yukino is making a poster or   
something," Tsubasa spoke between bites. Short and sweet,   
that's how Tsubasa was.   
"I knew Tsubaki got a detention, we're in the same   
class," Aya replied. Damn, she didn't have back-up from Rika   
to help sell this role to Tsubasa.  
"Heard you finished your play," Tsubasa said.  
"Yes, actually I did."  
"No."  
"What?"  
"No, I'm not doing it. I don't care what you say, I   
refuse."  
"I didn't even ask you yet!"  
"I don't care! I knew you were going to! I won't do   
it!"  
"You don't even know what it's about."  
"Sure, I do."  
"Then what is it about?"  
"Something about school."  
"No. It has nothing to do with school."  
"But it has 'training' in the title. Anyway, it doesn't   
matter, I'm not doing it."  
"But I have the perfect part..."  
"No."  
"It's a big role..."  
"No."  
"You'll be the star..."  
"No."  
"You'll be the Princess..."  
"No."  
"I'll pay you."  
"No."  
"I'll feed you."  
Pause. "What will you give me?"  
"Um..." Aya didn't expect that she would actually have   
to cash that bribe in, "I'll give you Pocky."  
"How much Pocky?"  
"A lot."  
"That's not good enough. I'm thinking two years'   
supply."  
"You're insane!"  
Tsubasa got up from her chair, "I'll eat somewhere else   
then."   
Aya grabbed her arm, "Fine! Three months supply!"  
"No. Two years."  
"Six months!"  
"No. Two. Years."  
"A year then!"  
Tsubasa concerned this, "Fine. What am I playing?"   
Tsubasa sat down again, giving Aya her full attention.  
"You'll be playing Princess Amy of Seyruun. Tsubaki is   
playing your father. The whole premise of the story is that   
Lisa Intime, played by Yukino, knows a powerful spell, the   
Dragon-Slave, and you want to learn it."  
"What's it do?"  
"Destroys cities with one blow." Tsubasa eyes lit up.  
"Cool. I'm in."  
Aya handed her the script, "Look over it tonight. We   
have rehearsal tomorrow in the Home Ec. room right after   
school."  
The bell rung for the end of lunch.  
  
*** ***  
  
Tsubasa sat in the train, watching the people watching   
her. There was this guy sitting next to her that looked like   
a spy, with his dark glasses and trench coat. In front of   
her, there was a guy talking to some poor nurse about how he   
was God and how the only ones who will be saved are the ones   
would sleep with him.  
"I'm really bored," she thought. Even the crazies got   
repetitive after a while. She opened her school bag and took   
out her script.  
"'A Lovely Princess' Training! By Aya Sawada." She   
turned the page and flipped through some of the pages. All   
her actions and lines were highlighted. She turned back to   
the cast of characters.  
"'Amy: age 14, Princess of the city-state of Seyruun,   
short, immature, high voice, knows only white magic (i.e.   
healing), believes in Justice, hero-worshipping.' This has   
to be a joke," she flipped to the first page and read her   
lines. She was personally insulted. She read all her lines,   
each more stupid than the last. Her hands gripped the   
script.  
  
*** ***  
  
"Look into the ocean and see the dying squid... I feel   
the pain of the calling birds..." Kazuma tapped his pencil   
against the table, "What rhymes with squid?" Suddenly the   
temperature of the room increased by 20 degrees, "Whoa, did   
I turn the AC off?" He turned around and saw a flaming   
Tsubasa. The figure asked, "Go on. Ask about my day."  
"How was your day?"  
Tsubasa slammed her bag in front of him, "You want to   
know about my day? I'll tell you about my day! First, I woke   
up nice and early so I didn't have to rush this morning.   
That was nice. Then I passed that really hard test on Edo   
dynasty which was nice too. Then I had lunch! Tsubaki got a   
detention, Rika had to finish her science project and Yukino   
was off making out with Arima so only me and Aya are there   
and she hands me this!" Tsubasa held the script a centimeter   
away from Kazuma's face, "And she says, 'Oh please, Tsubasa!   
I have the perfect part for you!' and after she offers me a   
year's supply of Pocky, I accept the role of Princess Amy of   
Seyruun!"  
"Never heard of her."  
"Of course not! Aya just wrote it last night!" Tsubasa   
stomped away from Kazuma, "I read this on the train today!   
She is the most stupidest person in the world! She's a   
little Justice freak and she trips over everything! Do I   
look like a Justice-loving Princess to you?!"  
"Of course you do..."  
"THE CORRECT ANSWER IS NO!"  
"Of course not! Why would anyone think otherwise?"   
"I am so mad right now!"  
"Look, Tsubasa. Don't you think you're exaggerating?   
It's probably not that bad."  
"You want to hear some of these lines?" Tsubasa said,   
opening the door leading out to the balcony.  
"Okay."  
"Believe me, this is really bad. 'With a heart filled   
with love for Justice, the trip to Seyruun isn't far at   
all!'"  
"That is really stupid."  
Tsubasa flipped through some of the pages, "Here's   
more. 'I landed on the guy I wanted to save!'"  
Kazuma leaned back in his chair, laughing.  
"Wait! There's more! 'That's stealing and stealing is   
evil! Come forth, my sure swift punishment! Dragon-Slave!   
Oh, it feels good to triumph in the name of Justice!'"  
"Stop!" Kazuma gasped, "I hurt! Ow!"  
"There's more! 'I will not lose! No matter what the   
training! I will become a Champion of Justice just like Miss   
Lisa!'"  
Kazuma fell off his chair, gasping for air.  
Tsubasa leaned against the railing of the balcony,   
"'Villains who hold no mercy for the weak, Heaven will hold   
none for you!'" With she threw her arms up and leaned back   
against the railing.   
The bolts of the railing had been loose for years but   
no one had ever bothered to fix them. The railing could no   
longer bear Tsubasa's weight and it disconnected from the   
balcony. Down came the railing, Tsubasa and all. Tsubasa   
fell on the grass from two stories up and the pages of the   
script fluttered about her like dying moths.   
Kazuma stopped laughing and ran to the balcony. He saw   
Tsubasa lying on the grass, "Tsubasa! TSUBASA! Can you hear   
me?! Answer me!" Tsubasa did not move. Kazuma ran out of the   
room and ran down the three flights of stairs in record   
time. He found Tsubasa still laying there and checked for a   
pulse. She was still alive but she was unconscious.  
'Okay, don't move, Tsubasa. Well, I guess you can't   
really help that. I'll get help." Kazuma ran back to the   
house and called for an ambulance.  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Part Two

Tsubasa Shibahime: Champion of Justice  
  
Part Two  
  
It was a long four-hour wait in the waiting room of Gekiteki Makuaikyogen hospital. Mr. Shibahime came three hours before, speeding down the road and got a ticket for his trouble.  
  
"If you had just fixed that railing like I had told you to, this wouldn't have happened!" Hiromi argued.  
  
"I know, I know, I'm cursed. Someone is punishing me for forgetting to fix that balcony. Why, oh why? My little girl..." Toshiharu moaned.  
  
A kindly old American doctor walked over to the group, and smiled, "Are you the family of Tsubasa Shibahime?"  
  
"Yes, we are, Eric." Hiromi got up and brushed herself off, "Tell me, is she all right?"  
  
"All right? She's fine. I'm surprised actually. She's doing much better than we thought." He led to the little room where Tsubasa was lying on the bed, staring up to the ceiling.  
  
Her father ran to her bedside, "Tsubasa, are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, Daddy, I'm fine. I got stitches though, see?" Tsubasa pointed to the line of stitches on forehead; "Can I go home now?"  
  
"Eric, is she really okay?" Hiromi asked.  
  
"Yes, she's perfectly fine. She was out for awhile but when she woke up, she was self-aware and knew what year it was and how to count backwards. Of course, we gave her mild pain-killers to dull the pain." Eric patted the little Tsubasa on the arm.  
  
"Can I go home now? I really need to finish up my homework," Tsubasa explained. Eric laughed.  
  
"Why, of course you may go home. But I think you should go right to bed, young lady. I'll write a note to your teachers explaining your circumstances."  
  
Eric gave Toshiharu and Hiromi instructions as he wrote the note to Tsubasa's teachers.  
  
Tsubasa trotted out of the room, after she fixed up the bed, and grabbed her father's arm, "Are we done yet, Daddy?"  
  
"Not yet. Why don't you wait with Kazuma in the car?"  
  
Kazuma's head snapped to attention when he heard his name. Tsubasa was already nearly out the door before Kazuma bolted.  
  
*** ***  
  
"You're not mad at me, are you?" Kazuma asked when caught up with her.  
  
"No, of course not! It wasn't your fault. It's not just to blame someone for something they didn't do." Tsubasa stretched her arms, "So, are you going to open the door?"  
  
"Oh, right." Kazuma fumbled around every key on the chain until he got to the one that opened the door. They got in and sat in silence.  
  
Then Tsubasa exclaimed, "Oh no!"  
  
"What?" Kazuma examined her face, thinking she had torn a stitch.  
  
"My script! Did you gather up my script?" Tsubasa demanded.  
  
"Is that all? I thought it was important."  
  
"It _is_ important! We have rehearsal tomorrow! I have to look over it!"  
  
"Wait a second! I thought you didn't even want to do this stupid play."  
  
"Don't call it 'stupid'. Aya probably worked really, really hard on that script. It's not stupid to HER, so it shouldn't be stupid to US. It's just so wrong to insult a project that took a person so much effort to complete!"  
  
"What's gotten into you?" Kazuma inched away from her (which was pretty hard since both were in the backseat and there was nowhere he could go).  
  
"Besides," Tsubasa continued, crossing her arms as she spoke, "I told Aya that I would do the part and I have to keep my promise. To break a promise with a cherished friend is just plain evil!"  
  
"Uh... okay, Tsubasa, whatever. I'll get your script. I don't see why you're so fired up _now_." Kazuma sighed.  
  
*** ***  
  
When they arrived home, Tsubasa was put immediately to bed but that didn't stop her from wanting to help out. Many times, Tsubasa crawled out of bed to help Hiromi with cooking or with the dishes and Kazuma would have to carry her back to her room.  
  
And all the while, Kazuma wondered.  
  
*** ***  
  
"Good morning!"  
  
"When did you get up?" Kazuma asked the chipper Tsubasa, who was busy making a four-course breakfast for everyone. By herself.  
  
"Oh, about an hour ago." Tsubasa shrugged and continued cooking.  
  
"Why are you making breakfast?"  
  
"Because, Mr. Kazuma, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! This family rarely has a good, wholesome breakfast and that's just wrong. Breakfast helps you think and grow. Think of how much better Mrs. Hiromi and my Daddy would function and how much better we would learn if we just ate a good breakfast every morning!" Tsubasa clasped her hands around her spatula, in total rapture of some vision shown only to her, "Think about it, Mr. Kazuma. If every man, woman and child in the entire world had a good breakfast in the morning, then we could all focus our attentions on spreading love and peace. And all because we had a good breakfast."  
  
Kazuma was stunned into silence. Tsubasa had spoken more in that two minutes than she usually did during the entire day.  
  
"What's wrong, Mr. Kazuma?"  
  
Before Kazuma could reply, his mother came down the stairs, "Mmmm... who's cooking?"  
  
"I am, Mrs. Hiromi! Are you hungry?!" Tsubasa answered gleefully.  
  
"Wow, Tsubasa, did you do all this?" Hiromi remarked, as Tsubasa set up the table, all nice and neat. She even put the utensils in their proper places.  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Hiromi. Could you call my Daddy? I don't want him to leave without having a good breakfast!" Tsubasa began humming a cute little song.  
  
"Of course, Tsubasa!" Hiromi called up the stairs, "Toshiharu! Tsubasa made us breakfast! Come down and eat it!"  
  
She paused, then turned to Tsubasa, "What did you call me?"  
  
"Mrs. Hiromi."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's respectful."  
  
"Oh, okay." It was too early for that type of discussion.  
  
Kazuma looked at his stepsister. He had only known her for a short while but some things he learned quickly.  
  
1. Tsubasa NEVER, EVER got up before she had to.  
  
2. Tsubasa NEVER, EVER cooked if she didn't have to.  
  
3. Tsubasa NEVER, EVER addressed people in a polite and socially acceptable fashion.  
  
So, what was going on?  
  
Mr. Shibahime came down and was shocked to see his daughter setting up a four-course breakfast.  
  
"What's going on?" Mr. Shibahime words mirrored his stepson's thoughts.  
  
"I made breakfast for everyone! Sit down and eat, Daddy!" Tsubasa pulled out her own chair and began filling up her plate with food. The rest of the family shrugged and followed suit.  
  
The food was delicious and Mr. and Mrs. Shibahime told Tsubasa so and she was delighted.  
  
Kazuma, however, felt like he had accidentally stumbled into the Twilight Zone. Any moment now, Tsubasa was going to turn into a giant bat and kill them all.  
  
"Are you feeling okay, Tsubasa?" Kazuma asked, trying to shut out the image of Bat-Tsubasa.  
  
"Sure! I'm feeling great, Mr. Kazuma!" Tsubasa replied cheerfully. She glanced at the clock behind her and put her bowl down, "Whoa! I got to go! See you all later!" Tsubasa left the table and picked up her stuff.  
  
Kazuma looked at the clock. 7:50am.  
  
"Tsubasa, you're too early. Your school doesn't start until 9!" Kazuma called after her.  
  
"I know! I want to finish up my homework so I don't fall behind! I also want to look over the script some more!" Tsubasa answered as she hobbled around trying to get her shoe on.  
  
"You don't need to leave _this_ early. It only takes 20 minutes to get to your school, after all!" Kazuma responded.  
  
"I need all the time I can get! Good bye! Have a great day, everyone!" With that, Tsubasa politely closed the door.  
  
"There's something very wrong here," Kazuma thought as he finished his portion of breakfast.  
  
*** ***  
  
Tsubasa happily skipped to the train station but then she realized that happily skipping hurt her head so she ended her five-minute trip by happily speed walking.  
  
As she went, she happily sang aloud the tune that she had been humming that morning as she made breakfast.  
  
"I would like to overtake yesterday, stronger than today  
  
And challenge tomorrow  
  
My shining justice and feeling of love  
  
Can't let evil bypass  
  
If I overdo it problems may occur  
  
but I promised on that star..." *  
  
She arrived just on time and read through her script on the train.  
  
*** ***  
  
"Must...study..." Yukino, the now-long-since-abdicated Hokuei High Queen of Vanity, had been studying for the past hour for the important History test coming up in two days. She hadn't even begun her Council work, which was stacked neatly on the top left corner of her desk. She stretched her arms and slouched in her chair.  
  
"I'm all studied out. I really need to do my Council Work..."  
  
"That's the spirit, Miss Miyazawa!"  
  
Yukino leapt out of her seat, crouched on her desk and faced her intruder. It was...  
  
"Tsubasa?"  
  
"What's wrong, Miss Miyazawa?"  
  
"Tsubasa," she panted, "where did you come from?"  
  
"Um... my house?"  
  
"No! When did you get here?" Yukino darted her head around, "What time is it?"  
  
"I just got here and it's," Tsubasa glanced at her watch, "8:15."  
  
"It's only 8:15? Then why are you here?" Then Yukino thought about it. No one was here. Only she and Tsubasa were in the room, perhaps the entire building. All the kindness (the Tsubasa version, which meant not chomping arms off), the silent agreement of friendship, of no longer going after Arima...was it all a facade? Did Tsubasa really lie in wait like a cobra and meant to now unleash her fury and kill Yukino right here and now?!  
  
Could it be true?!  
  
Tsubasa opened her schoolbag, and pulled out... papers.  
  
Yukino cried out, "I'm gonna live!"  
  
If Tsubasa had heard Yukino cry out, she ignored it, saying, "Since you do so well in your studies, I thought you could help me with my homework. I couldn't do it last night because I had to go to the hospital again," Tsubasa moved her bangs, letting Yukino catch a glimpse of the line of stitches, "I knew you'd be here at this time, so perhaps you could help me?" Tsubasa's eyes glistened in anticipation.  
  
Yukino started, "Well, see..."  
  
Tsubasa took Yukino's hands, "Oh, please, Miss Miyazawa! I realize now that you are my idol, everything I want to be! My goal is to follow your example and I need your help to do that!" Yukino could almost _see_ pastel laser lights going off behind Tsubasa's head.  
  
"That's great but... see, I have a lot of work, perhaps tomorrow or at lunch?"  
  
Tsubasa released Yukino's hands and looked at the Council papers as if seeing them for the first time. Tears began to fall from Tsubasa's eyes, "Oh, Miss Miyazawa. You are such an industrious person. That's so honorable! You work far too hard!" Tsubasa grabbed Yukino's upper arms (she couldn't reach her shoulders). "Please, Miss Miyazawa, let me do your Council work for you in return for your guidance and teaching!"  
  
Yukino's mouth dropped. She cried, "You'll WHAT?!"  
  
"I'll do your Council work gladly. You work far too hard anyway!"  
  
"It's no big deal, if it gets too much for me, I'll get Arima to do it."  
  
"No, really, I insist!"  
  
Yukino was in total shock. This could not be happening. Had she fallen asleep? Someone was offering to do her Council work for her? And that someone just happened to be Tsubasa? Sure, people had admired her before and offered their help, but...this was Tsubasa. Little "I-can- destroy-entire-buildings-on-a-sugar-high" Tsubasa. It had to be a dream. To make the dream stranger, Tsubasa was kind, polite and...  
  
"Hey! Why are you calling me 'Miss' Miyazawa?"  
  
Tsubasa appeared stunned, as if the answer was obvious, "Miss Miyazawa, you are a person worthy of my respect. Of course, I should say your name in a respectful tone."  
  
"Whatever." Yukino sighed. Look, she thought to herself, if Tsubasa's so fired up to do my Council work, why not take the opportunity and let her do it? "Tsubasa, if you really want to do my work, go right ahead. But you can stop whenever you want."  
  
"Oh, thank you, Miss Miyazawa! I'd be so honored!"  
  
"And I'll help you with your studies during lunch today, okay?"  
  
"That would be just wonderful! You are truly a good and just person!" Tsubasa sat in an empty seat and got right to work.  
  
Arima walked into the classroom and said, "Good Morning, Miyazawa, Tsubasa... Tsubasa?" Arima went over to the furiously working Tsubasa. "Tsubasa?"  
  
"Good Morning, Mr. Arima," Tsubasa greeted him, not looking up.  
  
"Is that Council work?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Arima."  
  
"I didn't know you were on the Council, Tsubasa."  
  
Yukino corrected, "She isn't. That work is mine."  
  
Arima turned to Yukino, "Well, why is she doing it?" Arima suddenly became suspicious. "You're not _making_ her do your work, are you?" Without waiting for Yukino's answer, he went back to Tsubasa and put his hand down to take the stack of papers back, "Come on, Tsubasa, you don't have to do this stuff. It's Miyazawa's responsibility, after all..."  
  
Tsubasa slammed her hand down, "No! I want to do it!"  
  
Yukino sighed, "If you had waited, I could have told you that she volunteered to do my work. I didn't make her do anything."  
  
Arima took his hand off the stack of papers and both overachievers watched the motivated Tsubasa work. She worked very quickly through the papers and as Arima noticed, perfectly. Penmanship, spelling, grammar, everything was perfect.  
  
"She's starting to scare me, Miyazawa." Arima inched over to Yukino, who only nodded.  
  
"I didn't do anything. She came to me like this," she eventually whispered.  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"I don't know. She told me that I was her idol and lots of stuff like that. Then she offered to do my Council work."  
  
"And you agreed?!" Arima hissed.  
  
"Well, you did the same thing with me!" Yukino hissed back.  
  
"That was different!"  
  
"Anyway, I even told her it was no big hassle but she simply had to do my work because I'm so just or something."  
  
"Just?"  
  
"You know, like, fair?"  
  
"I know what 'just' means but how can someone be 'just'?" Arima cocked an eyebrow up.  
  
"Good point," Yukino thought. She said to Tsubasa, "Tsubasa, how am I 'just'?"  
  
Not looking up from the rapidly diminishing pile of paperwork, Tsubasa replied, "Because, Miss Miyazawa, you are so fair and kind to everyone." Tsubasa continued to work.  
  
"Huh," was all the pair could say. Then Arima added, "Tsubasa?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Did you just call Miyazawa 'Miss' Miyazawa?"  
  
"Yes, Mister Arima."  
  
"Mister?"  
  
"She told me," Yukino broke in, "that she's adding the Miss to my name because I am a person worthy of her respect."  
  
"So," Arima asked, "why did she add Mister to my name?"  
  
"Because," Tsubasa chirped as she finally rose her head from the paper work, "you are a person worthy of my respect." Tsubasa put the last sheet on the pile and handed them to Yukino, saying, "Here. All done!"  
  
"All done?" Yukino whispered in awe as she flipped through the pages. Everything was done, only spaces requiring a signature of a teacher were blank.  
  
"Good job, Tsubasa..." Arima replied, looking over Yukino's shoulders at the handiwork.  
  
"I'm always happy to please one such as you Miss Miyazawa!" Tsubasa sighed with pleasure. She reached back into her bag and recovered her script. "I'll look over my script then."  
  
"Script?" Yukino asked, putting down the papers.  
  
"Yuh-huh, I'm in Aya's new play," Tsubasa said then grinned.  
  
"We're in Aya's play too," Arima replied. "Who are you playing?"  
  
"Princess Amy. I'm really excited! She's so..." Tsubasa snapped her fingers, trying to reach a word and sighed longingly, "me."  
  
Both Yukino and Arima looked at each other. Each had read through the script and Tsubasa was not exactly the first person who came to their minds when they read Princess Amy's lines.  
  
"Who are you playing?" Tsubasa asked after a long pause.  
  
She sure is talkative today, Arima thought.  
  
Yukino answered. "I'm Lisa and Arima's Garth."  
  
"Isn't Lisa supposed to be Amy's teacher?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"What a coincidence!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Yukino inquired.  
  
"Well, I admire you and Amy admires Lisa and it's like real life!" Tsubasa got all shiny eyed at the very thought.  
  
Arima leaned over to whisper in Yukino's ear, "Are you sure you didn't say something to her?"  
  
*** ***  
  
Eventually, 9 o'clock came and Tsubasa felt very guilty about not doing her homework the night before but the teacher forgave her because of the doctor's note, saying, "Don't worry. Just show it to me tomorrow and I'll give you credit."  
  
"I really should have finished my work, though."  
  
"You couldn't help it. I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt. Go take your seat."  
  
When the teacher left for the "copy-room" (i.e. she either had to go the bathroom or make out with her cute teacher boyfriend), Rika looked at Tsubasa's stitches and fussed over her, asking, "What happened?"  
  
"I fell off the second floor balcony, but Mister Kazuma called the hospital and I was alright."  
  
"'Mister' Kazuma? Did you two have a fight or something?" Tsubaki asked, her hand holding up her chin.  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"Then why did you say 'Mister' before his name?"  
  
"Because it's proper."  
  
"Since when did you care what was 'proper,' Tsubasa?" Tsubaki commented.  
  
"Stop teasing her!" Rika interrupted.  
  
"I wasn't teasing," Tsubaki remarked. "I was just pointing it out."  
  
"I don't care what you think, Miss Tsubaki."  
  
"What's this? Why did you say 'Miss'?"  
  
"Because it's proper!"  
  
"I'm your best friend since kindergarten! Since when did we need to be proper?" Tsubaki threw up her arms and sighed, "Never mind. You're just having one of your weird days. Do what you want."  
  
"Better than her fighting cats," Aya remarked.  
  
Tsubasa frowned, "I told you. That cat scratched me first. Although," Tsubasa thought aloud, "that was a rather stupid thing to do."  
  
The teacher returned and they began their lessons. Tsubasa showed her true colors.  
  
"Shibahime, what is the answer to the problem on the board?" The teacher pointed to the math problem written in chalk.  
  
Tsubasa stood up, then got up on her desk and stood on her desk. Sticking her fist into the air, she cried, "The Peace-fulfilling answer is 354!"  
  
"Thank you...Shibahime. Get down now, please," the teacher answered nervously.  
  
Tsubasa got back into her seat. However, through the entire day, not only was Tsubasa anxiously raising her hand to answer every question but when she was called on, she got on her desk and the answer was always "just" or "peaceful." During the history lesson, Tsubasa made a roaring speech about the pure, unadulterated justice that prevailed in the time of the shoguns.  
  
Her friends were very, very afraid.  
  
Finally, lunch came and the trio hoped someone in the group could wrestle some explanation from Tsubasa about her behavior.  
  
"You do it," Tsubaki whispered to Aya.  
  
"No way. You do it first."  
  
"No, she is scaring me. You do it."  
  
"I don't want to. She's your life-long friend," Aya hissed back.  
  
"Why are you two whispering?" Rika asked, bringing her head between them. The pair jumped apart. Before either could respond, Tsubasa, her eyes all aglow, ran towards Yukino.  
  
"Miss Miyazawa! I'm ready for our study session now!" Tsubasa called as she placed her books down. Warily, Yukino smiled and suggested, "Shouldn't you get your lunch first?"  
  
"Oh right! I completely forgot! I think it's wonderful that our school system is wise and fair enough to realize the importance of a good lunch to help us work towards a new and peaceful world in which..."  
  
"Tsubasa. Get your lunch," Tsubaki ordered, slamming her own lunch down on the lunch.  
  
"I wasn't done, Miss Tsubaki!" Tsubasa whined.  
  
"You're done now. Get. Your. Lunch. Now!" Tsubaki pointed at the lunch line.  
  
"You're being really mean. You're being simply evil right now!" Tsubasa concluded, hands at her hips.  
  
"No, I'm being simply pissed! Get your lunch!" Tsubaki huffed loudly. Tsubasa turned on her heel. A silence briefly followed.  
  
"You really shouldn't swear," Rika corrected.  
  
Tsubaki turned on Rika, screaming, "I don't give a...!" Tsubaki took a breath and amended, "Sorry. Reflex. I've had a bad day."  
  
"She's been doing that whole thing with you guys too?" Yukino asked between bites.  
  
"Yes. All day," Aya replied.  
  
"Funny. I thought she was just doing it to me," Yukino commented, adding, "I mean, all that talk about me being her hero and her doing my Council work seemed fishy..."  
  
"She did your Council work?" Tsubaki asked, "When?"  
  
"This morning."  
  
"Doesn't it take at least five hours to do Council work?" Rika asked.  
  
"Yeah, but Tsubasa was so determined to do it. She finished within the hour."  
  
The table sat in thought.  
  
"Something's afoot," Aya concluded to nods all around.  
  
"Maybe her falling from the second floor made her re-evaluate her life," Rika suggested.  
  
"As far as I can tell," Yukino mused, twirling her chopstick, "she's not doing anything destructive. I guess there's really no need for worry at present."  
  
"I'M BACK!!!" Tsubasa hollered, causing chokings, splutters and spilled food across the board. "Oh, are you all alright?"  
  
"We were," Tsubaki answered. Tsubasa placed her lunch down. Small but healthy, it consisted of three chicken dumplings and a small bowl of tofu soup. There was not a cake to be seen.  
  
"Tsubasa?" Aya asked.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Since when did you eat tofu?"  
  
"Well, tofu is very good for you and is full of loving protein which helps you study to better the world around," Tsubasa replied, calmly nibbling on a dumpling.  
  
"No. I asked since when did you, Tsubasa Shibahime, eat the tasteless block known as tofu?"  
  
"Does it really matter, Miss Sawada?"  
  
"Miss.? Listen."  
  
"I don't see the need to be alarmed," Rika interrupted, "I think it's cute."  
  
"Thank you, Miss Sena," Tsubasa replied, turning to her soup and eating it without slurping. Rika rubbed her affectionately on the head.  
  
"She's starting to scare me," Aya muttered.  
  
*** ***  
  
"That's today's rehearsal, guys," Aya called as she clapped her hands. Yukino, Arima, and Tsubaki sighed in relief. Tsubasa frowned, saying, "You mean that's all we're doing today?"  
  
"Yes, Tsubasa, that's it. You really should go home," Aya replied, packing away her things.  
  
Rika's head popped up and she asked, "Do you need my measurements now, Aya?"  
  
"Yeah but I need to discuss costume design with you," Aya replied.  
  
"Maybe we can discuss it as we walk home," Rika suggested as they walked out of the classroom, Tsubasa tagging behind them.  
  
As they reached the outside, a gentle wind tugged at their hair.  
  
"How pretty!" Rika exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Aya said as she searched through her bag. After rifling through the pocket, she found her prize. "My last pack until Saturday."  
  
"Miss Sawada!" Tsubasa shrieked. Aya and Rika stopped dead and turned around. Tsubasa was busy climbing on to a mailbox. She found her balance and pointed an accusing finger at Aya.  
  
"Yeah?" Aya asked.  
  
"Miss Sawada! I can no longer tolerate this injustice! No longer will I stay by and watch this foul misdeed! I can not allow you to continue this injustice to yourself and your future offspring!"  
  
"Leave my future offspring out of this," Aya interrupted.  
  
"Do not question the word of justice! Not only is this habit is this habit harmful and disrespectful to yourself but also your friends, family, and innocent bystanders! The air that we breathe is the most valuable gift we have and your smoky exhalations foul the peaceful air! I command to discontinue this foul injustice or suffer the consequences!"  
  
Aya found her lighter, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. She then blew the smoke in Tsubasa's direction, remarking, "So?"  
  
"Heaven may forgive you but I will NOT!" Tsubasa jumped from the mailbox and grabbed the open pack in Aya's hand. With a huge wind-up, Tsubasa "nobly" tossed the pack far away. Aya's mouth hung open and the last remaining cigarette fell to the ground, where Tsubasa stomped on it. Tsubasa looked to the sky, clasped her hands in front of her chest and sighed, "Justice has been served but injustice still marches on elsewhere." Turning to her stunned audience, she added, "I must go home now. Daddy will be worried if I'm not home." With that, Tsubasa continued towards the bus stop, away from Aya and Rika.  
  
The wind blew the remains of the crushed cigarette into the grasses to be seen no more.  
  
"Well," Rika said, looking at the stunned nicotine addict, "I hope you've learned a valuable lesson."  
  
"Yeah," Aya replied, her hands balling into fists. "Tsubasa has turned into a monster. This is the LAST straw! Rika!"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"We'll talk costumes tomorrow. Now is the time for action," Aya said, heading towards lands unknown to Rika.  
  
Rika waved to her back, yelling, "Okay! See you tomorrow!"  
  
  
  
*** ***  
  
"Kazuma, there's a chick here to see you," one of Kazuma's band mates said, "Should I tell her to get lost?"  
  
"I can't talk to her, Tsubasa might kill me. Especially now that's she's going on about justice and truth and stuff. Who is she anyway?" Kazuma asked.  
  
"Is she cute?" another band member asked.  
  
"I can't tell, she's in a trench coat and glasses and all that crap." The other band members sighed. Kazuma sighed, "It's probably Tsubasa, let her in."  
  
The band member disappeared and returned with a walking trench coat with dark glasses. It glided over to Kazuma and said, "Are you Kazuma Ikeda?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"Do you know," the coat held out a picture of Tsubasa making a goofy face, the folds shaking slightly, "this girl?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. She's my girlfriend."  
  
"We really, really need to talk," said the coat.  
  
"Okay...what's this about?"  
  
The coat's jitters became more violent.  
  
Alarmed, one of the band mates hollered, "It's gonna blow!"  
  
"Yeah, I know the feeling. Say, can you spare a cigarette?"  
  
To be continued...  
  
* Special thanks to Lynda who provided the translation to "Sekai de ichiban no victory", an Amelia image song. 


End file.
